Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds
Several months ago, before the panics created by Major Hasan's muslim terrorist murder of 13 soldiers at Fort Hood and before the Christmas day attempt at airborne mass murder by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the nation was obsessed with fears of dying from Swine Flu.
Talking head and pundits from every corner of the nation were predicting a pandemic. Not an epidemic, but a pandemic, which is much worse. The epidemic spread of an epidemic, promising a death toll of Black Plague proportions.
However, for the past month or two, little media attention has been given to the Center for Disease Control, the people who track and fight health problems like Swine Flu.
Truckloads Of Unused Swine Flu Vaccines
Friday, 08 Jan 2010
MYFOXNY.COM - After months of fear, media coverage and government warnings there wasn't as much demand for the swine flu vaccine in New York state as expected.
Truckloads of swine flu vaccines are being returned by counties that say the expected demand for the shots never happened.
When the state's H1N1 vaccination program kicked off in the fall there were fears that there wouldn't be enough of the new vaccine to go around.
The flu strain has not spread as wide as feared and some people were also unsure of pumping a quickly developed vaccine into their bodies.
Despite the lack of media attention, the Center for Disease Control releases a steady stream of information. Such as:
Situation Update
Flu Activity: Overall flu activity in the United States decreased slightly during the week of December 27-January 2, 2010, as reported in FluView. Though flu activity, caused by either 2009 H1N1 or seasonal flu viruses, may rise and fall, it is expected to continue for several more months.
Synopsis:
During week 52 (December 27, 2009-January 2, 2010), influenza activity decreased slightly in the U.S.
Pneumonia and Influenza Hospitalization and Death Tracking:
From August 30, 2009 – January 2, 2010, 37,778 laboratory-confirmed influenza-associated hospitalizations and 1,735 laboratory-confirmed influenza-associated deaths were reported to CDC.
Obviously the threat of death from Swine Flu is far greater than the threat of dying in an airborne attack perpetrated by a terrorist organization. But you would miss this crucial point if you accepted the headlines.
It seems we accept the ever-present threat of illness and we accept that our efforts to fight diseases like Swine Flu are managed reasonably well. No one is calling for the resignation of the Surgeon General or high-ranking public health officials. That complacency suggests most Americans believe our government is providing some value when it comes to combatting public health threats.
When it comes to protection from terrorists, it is clear Americans -- and our leaders -- are in a panic. Based on the three most recent attacks on Americans perpetrated by muslims, it is clear our protective efforts are subpar. Major Hasan infiltrated the US Army and ultimately murdered 13 soliders and wounded 29 more; Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab attempted to bring down an airliner on Christmas Day and a Jordanian doctor who had offered to work as a double agent for the CIA killed eight agents in a suicide attack. These examples show the deep flaws in the way we manage our security.
When it comes to crime, our smartest police leaders have learned the value of data. Police know where trouble is most likely to occur, which leads to manpower deployment to those sites. The result? Reduced crime rates. It appears that airline security measures have deterred airborne terrorists from carrying out their plans. However, after seeing the ease with which the known radical and bomb-carrying Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab boarded a plane, it looks as though our record of safe flying is more a matter of good luck rather than true deterrence.
When it comes to Homeland Security, Are We Getting Good Value for the Dollars Spent? No.
Talking head and pundits from every corner of the nation were predicting a pandemic. Not an epidemic, but a pandemic, which is much worse. The epidemic spread of an epidemic, promising a death toll of Black Plague proportions.
However, for the past month or two, little media attention has been given to the Center for Disease Control, the people who track and fight health problems like Swine Flu.
Truckloads Of Unused Swine Flu Vaccines
Friday, 08 Jan 2010
MYFOXNY.COM - After months of fear, media coverage and government warnings there wasn't as much demand for the swine flu vaccine in New York state as expected.
Truckloads of swine flu vaccines are being returned by counties that say the expected demand for the shots never happened.
When the state's H1N1 vaccination program kicked off in the fall there were fears that there wouldn't be enough of the new vaccine to go around.
The flu strain has not spread as wide as feared and some people were also unsure of pumping a quickly developed vaccine into their bodies.
Despite the lack of media attention, the Center for Disease Control releases a steady stream of information. Such as:
Situation Update
Flu Activity: Overall flu activity in the United States decreased slightly during the week of December 27-January 2, 2010, as reported in FluView. Though flu activity, caused by either 2009 H1N1 or seasonal flu viruses, may rise and fall, it is expected to continue for several more months.
Synopsis:
During week 52 (December 27, 2009-January 2, 2010), influenza activity decreased slightly in the U.S.
Pneumonia and Influenza Hospitalization and Death Tracking:
From August 30, 2009 – January 2, 2010, 37,778 laboratory-confirmed influenza-associated hospitalizations and 1,735 laboratory-confirmed influenza-associated deaths were reported to CDC.
Obviously the threat of death from Swine Flu is far greater than the threat of dying in an airborne attack perpetrated by a terrorist organization. But you would miss this crucial point if you accepted the headlines.
It seems we accept the ever-present threat of illness and we accept that our efforts to fight diseases like Swine Flu are managed reasonably well. No one is calling for the resignation of the Surgeon General or high-ranking public health officials. That complacency suggests most Americans believe our government is providing some value when it comes to combatting public health threats.
When it comes to protection from terrorists, it is clear Americans -- and our leaders -- are in a panic. Based on the three most recent attacks on Americans perpetrated by muslims, it is clear our protective efforts are subpar. Major Hasan infiltrated the US Army and ultimately murdered 13 soliders and wounded 29 more; Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab attempted to bring down an airliner on Christmas Day and a Jordanian doctor who had offered to work as a double agent for the CIA killed eight agents in a suicide attack. These examples show the deep flaws in the way we manage our security.
When it comes to crime, our smartest police leaders have learned the value of data. Police know where trouble is most likely to occur, which leads to manpower deployment to those sites. The result? Reduced crime rates. It appears that airline security measures have deterred airborne terrorists from carrying out their plans. However, after seeing the ease with which the known radical and bomb-carrying Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab boarded a plane, it looks as though our record of safe flying is more a matter of good luck rather than true deterrence.
When it comes to Homeland Security, Are We Getting Good Value for the Dollars Spent? No.
Labels: airborne terrorism, swine flu, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab
posted by no_slappz at 8:53 AM
6 Comments:
We know what must be done. But we refuse to do it.
The mindset of muslims is pathetic. Adherents to this so-called religion need to question their book of hatred, aka the Qur’an.
Fourth church attacked in Malaysia as allah row deepens
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Arsonists in Malaysia struck a fourth church on Saturday as the government tried to soothe tensions arising from a row over the use of the word "Allah" to refer to the Christian God.
The unprecedented attacks risk dividing the mainly Muslim nation of 28 million people, which has significant religious minorities, and complicating Prime Minister Najib Razak's plan to win back support from the non-Muslims before the next elections by 2013.
The row, over a court ruling that allowed a Catholic newspaper to use Allah in its Malay-language editions, prompted Muslims to protest at mosques on Friday and sparked arson attacks on three churches that saw one Pentecostalist church gutted.
While Najib visited the badly damaged Pentecostalist church and offered a government grant of half a million ringgit ($148,100) to maintain "a harmonious society," church leaders said they wanted more concrete assurances of safety.
"We ask the government to make a strong statement to these wrongdoers so we can worship in peace on Sunday," Reverend Hermen Shastri, secretary-general to the Council of Churches Malaysia, told Reuters.
Malaysia is mainly Muslim and Malay but there are substantial ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities who mainly practice Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism.
These minorities handed the government its biggest losses in 2008 state and national elections in part due to feelings of religious marginalization and growing disillusionment with corruption.
In the latest attack on early Saturday, unidentified attackers flung a home-made petrol bomb at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in a suburb in Selangor state. The two-storey bungalow sustained minor damage, church officials said.
Police said they have stepped up security at all places of worship but faced a manpower shortage. Inspector General of Police Musa Hasan told churches across the country to hire more security guards.
ALLAH
Christians account for nine percent of the 28 million population, with a sizable number of non-English speaking Christians in Malaysia's Borneo island states of Sabah and Sarawak who have used the word "Allah" for decades.
Najib's handling of the issue will determine whether he can keep the support of the Malays and win back ethnic Chinese and Indian voters to solidify his grip on power after taking control of the government last year.
"Till today we are protecting the interests of other races besides championing those of the Malays," Najib was earlier quoted as saying by state news agency Bernama.
"Don't point fingers and say UMNO is racist...when churches are burned," he said referring to his party, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) that is the linchpin of the National Front that has ruled the country for 52 years.
But Malay-Muslims, including those in UMNO, fear the word could be used by Christians to proselytize to Muslims, which is already illegal in the Southeast Asian country.
More than 169,000 Malaysians have joined a group page on social networking site Facebook called "Protesting the use of the name Allah by non-Muslims," a fourfold increase from the start of this week that signals growing Islamic anger.
A religion couldn’t become more racist and bigoted than this example indicates. How could anyone belong to such a hateful cult?
Winfred,
The best/worst line:
"But Malay-Muslims, including those in UMNO, fear the word could be used by Christians to proselytize to Muslims, which is already ILLEGAL in the Southeast Asian country."
Illegal! In other words, Islam is the de facto state religion.
Appalling.
Winfred,
As we know, the moderate muslim nation is an oxymoron of the worst form.
Worth checking out if you have a strong stomach
http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/200342.php
Slappz love life! There once was a man named Mort,
Whose dick was incredibly short,
When he climbed into bed, His lady friend said,
"That's not really a dick, its a wart!"
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